Improved metallic column



AUNITEE STATEs PATENT OFFICE."

GEORGE WALTERS AND THOMAS SHAFFER, OF PH(ENIXVILLE, PA.

IMPROVED METALLIC COLUMN'.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 87,016, 'dated February16, 1869.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, GEORGE WALTEEs andTHOMAS SHAFFER, of Phoenixville, in the county of Chester and State ofPennsylvania, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Iron or SteelColumns; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in theart to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is acrosssection of our improved column taken through the line :c a', Fig.2. Fig. 2 is a side viewr of the same, partly in section, to show theconstruction.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

Our invention has for its objectto furnish an .improved c'olumn of greatstrength and rigidity, and which shall at the same time loe easily andconveniently constructed and put together, and which may be made of any4desired size and style; and it consists in the column constructed inthe manner hereinafter more fully described.

A 'are the rings or interior bands, which may be made of any desiredsize, according to the required dimensions of the column. B are thelongitudinal bars, which may be made of any desired size, and anydesired number of which may be used, as the desired size of the columnmay require. Y

The bars B are liollowed or concaved longitudinally, said concave beingof a less radius in its cross-section than the radius of the column, forthe purpose hereinafter described. The bars B are secured to the ringsor bands A by bolts or screws, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, .at a shortdistance from each other, so as to leave a narrow open space betweenthem, as

. shown.

O are the binding-blocks, which are made wedge-shaped, or rather in theform of the key-stone of an arch, as shown in Fig. 1, and which aresecured to the rings A by bolts or screws, as shown. c are ribs ortongues formed upon the sides-of the block C, and

which enter grooves in the edges of the bars B, so as to prevent thebars B from slipping or getting out of place should the column besubjected to an oblique pressure.

The ribs or guards c may be cast or forged upon the blocks C, or theymay be made separate and inserted in holeSLone-half of each of which isformed by grooving the edges of the bars B, and the other half bygrooving the sides of the blocks C. We prefer the former construction.

The columns A B C are made with a swell or enlargement, which may be inthe middle may be at or near one end, giving the column the form of thefrustum of 'a cone, as may be desired. This swell is formed by makingthe interior bands or rings A of different diameters, as shown in Fig.2.

In putting the columns together the rings or bands A are arranged inorder, and the longitudinal bars B are attached to them, care beingtaken not to force the attachinglbolts or screws fully into theirplaces. The blocks C are then arranged in their places and partiallysecured by their bolts or screws. Then, as the screws orbolts aretightened to draw the bars and blocks to their places, the interiorbands or rings A will be put under tension, and the bars B and blocks Ounder compression, binding all the parts firmly together and producing acolumn of immense strength and rigidity. Y

We claim as new and desire to secure by i Letters Patent- An improvediron or steel column, formed by the combination of the interior'bands orrings A, concave bars B, and binding-blocks C, whether the said blocks Care provided with ribs or tongues c or not, with each other,

